Adrian Neaga
Encyclopedia
Adrian Constantin Neaga is a Romania
n football player. He is a forward.
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n football player. He is a forward.
Early career
- Neaga's career started once he signed his first professional contract with Argeş PiteştiFC Arges PitestiFC Argeş Piteşti is a Romanian professional football club from Piteşti, Argeş county.FC Argeş was one of the most successful Romanian clubs in the 1970s, when it won the national championship twice: in 1972 and 1979, and finished twice as runner-up...
in 1997. He was then playing in the same team with Adrian MutuAdrian MutuAdrian Mutu is a Romanian footballer who plays as a striker for Serie A club Cesena.-Argeş Piteşti:Mutu began his professional career with his home club Argeş Piteşti...
.
- He only played three games in his first season, scoring a goal, and then played two other games in the first half of the following season, before the club decided to loan him to Dacia Piteşti, a club from the second leagueLiga IILiga II is the second tier league of the Romanian football league system. The league acquired this name in the 2006-07, being previously called Divizia B....
, where he played 20 games and scored 10 goals, therefore gaining the right to be part of Argeş PiteştiFC Arges PitestiFC Argeş Piteşti is a Romanian professional football club from Piteşti, Argeş county.FC Argeş was one of the most successful Romanian clubs in the 1970s, when it won the national championship twice: in 1972 and 1979, and finished twice as runner-up...
again.
Drugs scandal
- In 2001 Neaga failed a drug testDrug testA drug test is a technical analysis of a biological specimen – for example urine, hair, blood, sweat, or oral fluid / saliva – to determine the presence or absence of specified parent drugs or their metabolites...
which had been performed at the end of a Divizia A game. He was not sanctioned for it, however.
Saudi Arabia
- Neaga was sacked from Al-Nassr by the sheikhSheikhNot to be confused with sikhSheikh — also spelled Sheik or Shaikh, or transliterated as Shaykh — is an honorific in the Arabic language that literally means "elder" and carries the meaning "leader and/or governor"...
who is the owner of the club, after an incident from the match with Al-Khaleej. Neaga had stayed at Al-Nassr just 20 days.
Steaua Bucureşti years
- By the time of his transfer to Steaua Bucureşti, Neaga was considered one of the most talented players from Romania's Divizia A.
- After he moved to BucharestBucharestBucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
his life changed dramatically. He purchased a MaseratiMaseratiMaserati is an Italian luxury car manufacturer established on December 1, 1914, in Bologna. The company's headquarters is now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. It has been owned by the Italian car giant Fiat S.p.A. since 1993...
, lived in a very expensive neighborhood and he was rather interested in the city's nightlife than in football.
- After two mediocre years with Steaua Bucureşti, he was sold to the Arabian club Al-NasrAl-NasrAl Nassr FC is a Saudi Arabian football club based in Riyadh. Formed in 1955 the club plays its home games at King Fahd Stadium and Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium. Its home colours are yellow and blue.-History:...
. It was the turning point of Neaga's career. Away from friends and family, Neaga re-discovered himself and, more importantly, re-discovered the pleasure of playing football. Mircea RednicMircea RednicMircea Rednic is a Romanian football manager and former defender. As of July 2010, he manages Khazar Lankaran in Azerbaijan....
, the coach of Al-Nassr, played a major role in that change.
- Neaga ended his contract with Al-Nassr and returned to Steaua Bucureşti. He was a different player. During the 2003-2004 season he scored 13 goals in 15 games.
- Walter ZengaWalter ZengaWalter Zenga is a retired Italian footballer and current manager. He is a long-time goalkeeper for the Italian national team and Internazionale. He also holds Romanian citizenship...
was appointed head coach by Steaua Bucureşti in the summer of 2004 and he soon made Neaga one of the two team leaders, alongside Mirel RădoiMirel RadoiMirel Matei Rădoi is a Romanian football midfielder who can also play as center back. He currently plays for Al-Ain FC in the UAE Pro-League. Radoi is considered a symbolic player for Steaua Bucureşti...
, and in the first half of that season Neaga played 15 games in Divizia A, scoring six goals, while in the UEFA CupUEFA CupThe UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
he scored five times in eight games, finishing Steaua's top-scorer in Europe that season.
- In February 2005 however, everything changed again. Gigi BecaliGigi BecaliGeorge Becali is a controversial Romanian politician and businessman, mostly known for his involvement in the Steaua Bucureşti football club.He has been a Member of the European Parliament since June 2009.-Biography:...
received a buying offer from the KoreaKoreaKorea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
n club Chunnam DragonsChunnam DragonsChunnam Dragons is a football club founded in 1995 in the Korean city of Gwangyang, which joined the K-League for the 1995 season at the same time as Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, their Jeolla province rivals.-History:...
for USD 1.5 million. Becali accepted the offer, even though Neaga and the team were due to play a very important game against Valencia CFValencia CFValencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
, then the La LigaLa LigaThe Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
champions and UEFA CupUEFA CupThe UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
winners, in the second round of the UEFA CupUEFA CupThe UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
.
Korean life
- In February 2004, more or less against his will, Neaga was sold to a KoreaKoreaKorea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
n club. In the meantime he became an important part of the Romania national football team, for which he won five caps in 2004. His run in the national side ended with his move to Korea.
- During his time at Chunnam DragonsChunnam DragonsChunnam Dragons is a football club founded in 1995 in the Korean city of Gwangyang, which joined the K-League for the 1995 season at the same time as Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, their Jeolla province rivals.-History:...
, Neaga was selected in the Team of the Season and was awarded the Bronze Boot for finishing third in the goalscorers standings. After 18 months at Chunnam DragonsChunnam DragonsChunnam Dragons is a football club founded in 1995 in the Korean city of Gwangyang, which joined the K-League for the 1995 season at the same time as Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, their Jeolla province rivals.-History:...
, Neaga made a statement saying that he would like to return to Steaua Bucureşti. His club agreed to the transfer, on the condition that the Romanian club pay a USD 1.5 million release fee. But Steaua Bucureşti refused, and Neaga joined Korean club Seongnam Ilhwa ChunmaSeongnam Ilhwa ChunmaSeongnam Ilhwa Chunma is a South Korean professional football club, based in Seongnam, South Korea, that plays in the K-League...
instead. With his new team, Neaga won the Korean title for the first time and, also for the first time, played in the Asian Champions League, scoring a goal in his first game, against VietnamVietnamVietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
's champions.
Steaua Bucureşti comeback
- In the early months of 2007, Neaga stated that he would love to return home to Steaua Bucureşti. Steaua Bucureşti agreed to pay the Korean club a sum of USD 800,000, which was not enough to gain his services for the following period. Seongnam Ilhwa ChunmaSeongnam Ilhwa ChunmaSeongnam Ilhwa Chunma is a South Korean professional football club, based in Seongnam, South Korea, that plays in the K-League...
's officials requested a sum of USD 1,000,000 to release Neaga, so the only solution was that the player would pay the difference of USD 200,000 to his former club, which he did. As a result, Neaga was a member of Steaua Bucureşti again in June 2007. Back at Steaua Bucureşti, he scored a goal in the 2-0 home victory against FC BATEFC BATEFC BATE Borisov is a Belarusian football team playing in the city of Borisov. They compete in the Belarusian Premier League and are the reigning champions. BATE are the only Belarusian team to have qualified for the group stage of the UEFA Champions League and for the group stage of the UEFA...
of BelarusBelarusBelarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
, thus qualifying for the first time in his life for the UEFA Champions LeagueUEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
, where he played against the likes of ArsenalArsenal F.C.Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
and SevillaSevilla FCSevilla Fútbol Club S.A.D. is a Spanish professional football club based in Seville, Spain that plays in the Spanish La Liga championship.They are one of the most successful clubs in Spanish football having won a 1 La Liga title, 5 Spanish "Copa del Rey" Cups, 1 Spanish Super Cup and 2 UEFA...
. Perhaps his best moment came in the game against arch-rivals Dinamo Bucureşti, a game in which he scored the only goal. But his club missed the chance of becoming champions of RomaniaRomaniaRomania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, as Steaua Bucureşti finished second, after CFR ClujCFR ClujCFR Cluj is a Romanian professional football club from the city of Cluj-Napoca in Transylvania, Romania. The club had spent most of their existence in the lower divisions, except for a spell in Divizia A in the 1970s, until they received significant financial backing from Árpád Pászkány in 2002...
, in the 2007-2008 season. The 2008-2009 season proved to be very difficult for Neaga, after failing to impress coach Marius LăcătuşMarius LacatusMarius Mihai Lăcătuş is a Romanian retired football player and football coach. He is so far the most successful football player ever to play for Steaua Bucureşti...
. After an altercation with Gigi BecaliGigi BecaliGeorge Becali is a controversial Romanian politician and businessman, mostly known for his involvement in the Steaua Bucureşti football club.He has been a Member of the European Parliament since June 2009.-Biography:...
, he was sent to the second team, but he was called back into the first squad by new coach Dorinel MunteanuDorinel MunteanuDorinel Ionel Munteanu is a Romanian former football midfielder, and current manager of Oţelul Galaţi.-Club career:Munteanu started to play football for Metalul Bocşa, a team which offered him the first chance to play in Divizia B in 1986...
, who took charge of the team after Marius LăcătuşMarius LacatusMarius Mihai Lăcătuş is a Romanian retired football player and football coach. He is so far the most successful football player ever to play for Steaua Bucureşti...
resigned from the club.
- On January 2009, Neaga was released by Steaua Bucureşti and signed for AzerbaijanAzerbaijanAzerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
i club Neftchi Baku.
Honours
| Season | Club | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 2004–2005 |  Steaua Bucureşti |
Liga I Liga I Liga I, or in full, due to sponsorship reasons, Liga I Bergenbier, is the top division of the Romanian football league system. Before the 2006/2007 season, it was called Divizia A, but the name had to be changed following the discovery that someone else had registered the trademark "Divizia A"... |
| 2006 |  Seongnam Ilhwa ChunmaSeongnam Ilhwa Chunma Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma is a South Korean professional football club, based in Seongnam, South Korea, that plays in the K-League... |
K-League K-League The Korea Professional Football League is South Korea's only fully professional association football league. At the top of the South Korean football league system, it is the country's highest and most prestigious level of football competition currently contested by 16 clubs.-Establishment:The... |